Arrow Can someone please explain Warner blocking certain characters from tv appearances?

[ZIPBAGS]

I just read that Harley is being blocked from appearing on either "Arrow" or "Flash". I also know that Ray Palmer/Atom was originally going to be Blue Beetle. Finally, we know they can't show Supes, Bats & WW.

So here is my question...Why? It makes no sense. Warner has said both its tv and movie verses were separate. So why not allow any of these characters from appearing.

Has anyone from Warner or the production teams answered this question?

Thanks!

 

[Gu3ree]

Well all I know is that they don't have the rights to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern yet which are major copyrighted characters owned by the WB, therefore, they need to have permission.

Flash is too. Still, if they got the Flash, then they should be able to use Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Blue Beatle and Booster Gold. The more, the merrier. I mean look, DC's Legends of Tomorrow made up their own characters to add more heroes. That's not enough to make a Justice League. Not to mention they added two villians, Cold and Heat Wave...they're not heroes.

I wish they wouldn't have done this. Still on the other hand, if they were going to make a Justice League TV show with the trinity in it, then I think it would ruin the upcoming Justice League movie itself. The whole idea, the excitement of seeing them altogether on screen for the first time is huge. Seeing that first in a tv series would make the film less exciting.

Still there is a possibility Supergirl will crossover with Arrow and Flash, by that point, it will mean that Superman exists in the Arrow/Flash-verse.

I think it might be interesting, but I'm only saying that maybe it will, or maybe not....if after the JL movies or by the time the DC cinematic universe has been established and are in the middle of their stage, then the DC television universe can make their own Justice League series with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Grant Gutsin's Flash, Stephen Amell's Arrow, etc...except how will they have a budget for that?

I'd feel like there would be a good balance though. Supergirl is innocent as Flash is, and Supergirl being part of the team would make it light. Arrow would be serious, then you have of course the trinity, all pretty serious and straight personalities.

 

[JC00]

Well all I know is that they don't have the rights to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern yet which are major copyrighted characters owned by the WB, therefore, they need to have permission.

You realize CW is owned by Warner Brothers, right? Those characters are just not used because DC (who is also owned by Warner Brothers) has clueless executives running things who think somehow the movie profits would be affected if they had TV versions of characters that will be in the movies and are only thinking about profit.

Yes the shows themselves need permission from DC and WB to use characters but it's not because of some rights issue. It's DC's weird embargo issue.

This is why people should be worried about Flash given that Warner Brothers is making a Flash movie.

 

[Primal Slayer]

WB has already crossed that path with Smallville/SR, they won't be pulling the show off air or restricting any major characters who will have already been recurring and are big part of the Flash in the first place.

 

[Thundercrack85]

These embargoes are mostly to limited overexposure, and to avoid confusing casual watchers.

Putting major characters on television lowers their value.

 

[trd84]

WB has already crossed that path with Smallville/SR, they won't be pulling the show off air or restricting any major characters who will have already been recurring and are big part of the Flash in the first place.

The placed a lot of restrictions on Smallville during that time. And they basically wrote SS Waller ARGUS off Arrow last season.

 

[Primal Slayer]

None of those characters are essential to Arrow, they barely brought anything to the show.

 

[metaphysician]

Says you. Waller was the best villain they had this season.

The only reason I'm not assuming Flash is going to get cancelled or retconned into oblivion is because its highly popular. If it had ratings significantly lower, I'd pretty much assume the next season would kill Barry and replace him with someone else.

 

[Primal Slayer]

She was the best villain they had this season? What did she do? How is she any different now then when we were first introduced to her? What makes her stand out besides her name? They have done ZERO with the character that you could swap her out with anyone and get the same results.

 

[JC00]

I wasn't saying WB is going to handcuff Flash, i'm just saying whoever the villain is of that particular movie don't expect him to make an appearance that season unless it is maybe Reverse Flash or Captain Cold.

Smallville and Superman Returns was different because Smallville had Lex Luthor as a regular and had Superman Returns been in development a year before Lois Lane probably never shows up in Season 4. As Smallvile had already started filming scenes of Lois before Bryan Singer signed on to do Superman Returns.

 

[trd84]

None of those characters are essential to Arrow, they barely brought anything to the show.

Waller was supposed to be the main villain in the flashbacks this season. The the Argus/SS plot had been building for a while. And Dead Shot was gonna be involved in the HIVE storyline.

If they want something blocked or pulled from the show, it will happen.

 

[trd84]

I wasn't saying WB is going to handcuff Flash, i'm just saying whoever the villain is of that particular movie don't expect him to make an appearance that season unless it is maybe Reverse Flash or Captain Cold.

Smallville and Superman Returns was different because Smallville had Lex Luthor as a regular and had Superman Returns been in development a year before Lois Lane probably never shows up in Season 4. As Smallvile had already started filming scenes of Lois before Bryan Singer signed on to do Superman Returns.

They placed a bunch of restrictions on Smallville because of the movie. One I remember was Lois and Clark's relationship and the amount of screen time together.

 

[JC00]

They placed a bunch of restrictions on Smallville because of the movie. One I remember was Lois and Clark's relationship and the amount of screen time together.

Oh I wasn't saying they didn't. Was just saying they won't take off any current cast member for the movie. Other than that I don't trust WB. Wouldn't put it past them to force them to have a Flash-lite season before the movie comes out. Maybe like losing the speed force for a chunk of the season.

But if you look at screen times alone it is clear WB put restrictions on Louis Lane

Season 4 she was recurring and appeared in 13 episodes and had a total screen time of 168 minutes

Season 5 and on she was a regular cast member but here are number of episodes and total screen time. (Season 5 was the season of Smallville before Superman Returns came out)

Season 5- 13 ep, 101 mintues
Season 6- 13 ep, 120 minutes
Season 7- 12 ep (strike season), 96 mintues
Season 8- 10 ep, 154 minutes
Season 9- 19 ep, 290 minutes
Season 10- 22 ep, 356 minutes


People will tell you that it was story related but with WB/DC's track record you can't honestly expect me to believe they didn't have something to do with that.

 

[Destructus86]

because they don't want the show characters to outshine their movie characters :P

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

I think the idea is that they don't want characters on tv who are the main selling points of a movie they're making.

With Flash, I think the show was in the pipeline back before they thought there would be a Flash movie. While they're not going to cancel the show when the movie comes out, I don't think that means the show has no restrictions though. I could imagine WB telling the showrunners that they can't use Reverse Flash, Grodd, and The Rogues while the movie's coming out, which is perhaps why they used them all right away in season one while they have the chance. Who knows.

 

[Arrowshieldfan]

Because Movie over tv. Majority watch movie. Not everyone watch TV

 

[PunyGod]

...

 

[Primal Slayer]

Wb been a mess about this for a over a decade now.

 

[mr. peasant]

WB has pretty reactionary towards Marvel in the superhero race pretty much ever since Marvel's movie adaptation renaissance. After observing a string of commercial successes using Marvel's big name superhero franchises starting with X-Men in 1999, WB decide to restart the Batman and Superman franchises; roping in Singer (X-Men, 1999) for the latter for extra measure.

Then, when Marvel decided to create a cinematic universe, WB are only now trying to emulate it as well, after having seen the huge success that was the Avengers.

Hopefully, WB will now respond accordingly again, seeing how Quicksilver was used in two different franchises as major characters to huge success without audience confusion and without "reducing the value" of the character through "overexposure".

 

[Thundercrack85]

Well, he's already on TV. So, he's lost as much value as he's going to lose.

 

[mr. peasant]

My thoughts are more on the CW-verse's version of Deadshot, Waller and the Suicide Squad; as well as other DC characters in general.

 

[Gintoki]

They are ruining Arrow.

 

[DrCosmic]

I just read that Harley is being blocked from appearing on either "Arrow" or "Flash". I also know that Ray Palmer/Atom was originally going to be Blue Beetle. Finally, we know they can't show Supes, Bats & WW.

So here is my question...Why? It makes no sense. Warner has said both its tv and movie verses were separate. So why not allow any of these characters from appearing.

Has anyone from Warner or the production teams answered this question?

Thanks!

The answer: to avoid competition between the movie and TV verse. Flash is the exception that proves the rule. Because the TV show is popular, the movie, sans anything but casting the lead role, already gets guff. "Who's the Better Flash?" And whoever wins, DC loses.

Having one definitive version of each character works in the company's favor in terms of branding and marketing as well. This is the same reason heroes don't share codenames, and you rarely even find two people with the same first name. It makes things easier when every name refers to the same entity for everyone.

Which is basically why they need to do it in order to *keep* the universes separate, especially for people who don't read interviews. The alternative is to explain to every tom, dick and harry *why* the universes are separate, and those reasons are entirely political, unlike Marvel's financial reasons.

 

[Gintoki]

In my other thread, as i mentioned, i think we should voice our dissatisfaction towards off limits of characters like deadshot, katana, harley quinn, on twitter, towards DC/WB, david ayer or whoever is responsible for this decision, to allow arrow to freely use characters. I know it's unlikely to work, but it's better than nothing, as i don't want to see Arrow going to complete disaster.l

 

[ZIPBAGS]

I asked the Flash writers on their twitter page about restrictions. Have not heard back. Like I made mention in another thread. The whole restrictions deal with Warner is stupid and makes no sense.

The average Tom, Dick and Harry doesn't watch "The Flash" tv show. They might see a blockbuster movie with the Flash in it. In any case even if they allowed different versions of Supes & Bats in a tv show. It wouldn't cause any confusion. Since fans would understand the different verses and the average Joe wouldn't care or even notice.

The movie world is about to have its 3rd version of Spider-Man in the past 10yrs. I don't think it makes a difference if their is 2 versions of Superman on tv and in the movies.